Gary Welford

The friends and family of tragic indie-pop band Viola Beach are campaigning to get them a posthumous No 1 hit.

All four members of the up-and-coming band and their manager Craig Tarry were killed when their car plunged more than 80ft from a highway bridge into a canal in Stockholm, Sweden, on Saturday.

Kris Leonard (guitar/vocals), River Reeves (guitar) Tomas Lowe (bass) and Jack Dakin (drums) were heading home after playing a gig in Norrkoping on Friday night.

They were due to begin a UK tour in Bournemouth tomorrow. They were due at The Townhouse in Middlesbrough on February 23, and were also on the bill of the Down To The Woods festival - formerly Hardwick Live - in County Durham in August.

They released their debut single Swings & Waterslides last summer, and the follow-up Boys That Sing came out last month.

Now, following the tragedy, a campaign is being driven by friends and family to propel the Warrington band’s debut single up the charts.

The independent, self-released track Swings & Waterslides is being pushed with the intent of sharing the band’s music with a wider audience of future fans.

The hope is that in spite of the tragedy, the music the band worked so hard to create can still reach and be enjoyed by as many people as possible.

The campaign is being spearheaded on social media, where tributes have been pouring in from all over the world.

The track is currently sitting at No 2 in the UK iTunes charts, and campaigners urged music fans to help give Viola Beach a posthumous No 1.

Craig Tarry's father Colin said: "It's just a tragic loss. I just don't want them to die in vain. Go out there and buy their records. Let's get them to number one."

* You can buy Viola Beach's single Swings & Waterslides from iTunes HERE.